I went into this book feeling really positive about it; it was gripping, with a fantastic opening. However, I think I suffered from having not read the first instalment, Abel, because a lot of the book seemed to make references to some drama of Abel and Elma’s relationship which I struggled to understand.

As the book went on, there were some pretty steamy sex scenes and I found myself really rooting for Cain and Sofie; there was, however, a lot of angst and running around in circles, lots of crying, and the ultimate climax of the novel felt like it left me a bit short, considering what was building. It was a lot of talk (and, in fact, a lot of repetition about something that was pretty clear to grasp once it had been stated for the first time), and Cain himself had moments where I found him a bit too alpha and controlling for my liking. In fact, there was a fair bit of repetition throughout, of the characters’ pasts and particular events and the way they were described.

It was a very interesting idea to adapt Cain and Abel, and I think overall it worked pretty well, especially the biblical references scattered throughout (I particularly liked the “second coming” reference). This is overall a good read, with lots of drama and a fair bit of suspense.